Wateeman l



(No Model.)

W. L.. ORMSBY. Spring Roller.

No. 233,429. Patented Oct. 19,1880.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WATERMAN L. ORMSBY, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

SPRING-ROLLER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 233,429, dated October 19, 1880.

Application filed July 1, 1880.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WATERMAN L. ORMSBY, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented an Improvement in Curtain-Fixtures, of which the following is a specification.

Curtain-fixtures have been provided with springs for revolving the roller upon which the curtain is wound.

In my present invention 1 make use of springs coiled in the opposite direction to form the body of the fixture. These can be distended more or less to suit the window-frame and the width of the curtain, and the curtain is connected to a bar that is revolved around the helical springs by said springs and winds the curtain up, or the bar acts to wind up the springs as the curtain is drawn down.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional elevation representing the two ends and the middle portion of the curtain-roller. Fig. 2 is a cross-section at the middle of the roller, and Fig. 3 is an end elevation.

The helical springs a and b are coiled in opposite directions. They may be either separate springs or one continuous Wire. In the center of the helices there is a plug, 61, thatis preferably of wood, and corresponds to the internal diameter of the helices.

The outer ends of the springs are adapted to be secured to the window frame or casing. For this purpose one or two staples or doublepointed tacks may be driven over one or two of the helical coils of the spring, as shown at c, or else one or two of the coils at the end of the helical spring may be bent at right angles to the axis of the helix, so as to lie flatwise upon the casing, as at c, and nails or staples may be used to secure the same.

At the ends of the helices there may be short plugs, around which the helices are secured, and these plugs may be provided with a nail or staple, by which they are secured to the window-frame, or the ends of the wire helices may pass off at right angles to the axis of the helix and be driven into the window-frame. These helical springs to bare of a suitable length for the average width of curtain; but they may be distended to suit wider windows or out 011' for narrower windows, or they may be made of various lengths or number of coils.

(No model.)

The bar 6 is preferably a trough-shaped strip of metal of a length corresponding to the width of the window-curtain. At or near the two ends there are rings f, that are firmly attached to said bar, and of a size for the springs to b to pass freely through them, and the bar 6 is connected at the middle with the plug d, and the curtain is attached to this bar 0. These rings should be movable endwise of the bar, so as to adapt the parts to difierent widths of curtains.

I prefer to make use of a strip of canvas or other suitable material of about five inches wide. One edgeof this is confined into afolded edge, 6, of the bar 6, and the window-curtain is attached to the other edge, so that when the curtain is rolled up this canvas comes between the curtain and the helical springs, or both canvas and curtain may be fastened to the bar 6, so that in rolling up the canvas comes between the curtain and the springs a.

It will now be evident if the curtain is rolled up around the bar 6 and helicaljjsprings that when the curtain is drawn down the bar 0 will be revolved around the helical springs 11 b, and the said springs will be wound up, in consequence of the plug d and inner ends of the helical spring being revolved by and with the bar 0, and that when the curtain is liberated the springs, by their recoil, will wind up the curtain.

1 make use of a weighted slat at the lower edge of the curtain to counteract the springs, so that the curtain will remain in any position to which it may be moved by hand, acting upon the weighted slat. I also apply a friction-pawl, 70, formed as a spring, with a V- shaped tooth at the end to press upon the end of one or both of the rings f,- and there should be one or more notches or depressions for the pawl to pass into to increase its action in holding the curtain. This pawl will spring in and out of the notches when the ring is turned either by the action of the curtain as it is drawn down or by the power of the springs as it is wound up.

The ends of the rings may press against the spikes or staple by which the helices are attached to the window-frame.

. There may be a second bar at the opposite side to the bar 0, as shown at 0, Fig. 2, and

the same is preferably connected by a screw or button with the plug (1, so as to be removable, or two or more bars may thus be applied in addition to the bar 0. The curtain of this 5 fixture will hang vertically because the weight is upon the plug d, and that is central to the curtain and free to accommodate itself to the extent of the elasticity of the suspendingsprings, and there will be more orless elasticity to the whole curtain fixture, and risks ot'iniury to the curtain or fixture are lessened.

If desired, the two springs, wound in opposite directions, may be secured to a rod or bar similar to a prolongation of the plug (I, the

ends of this rod extending beyond the helices and being fastened to the window-frame, and the outer ends of the springs a I) being connected with the bar e near its end, so that the ends of the springs will move with the bar e as the curtain is drawn up and down, or the springs may be fastened in the middle to the bar 6, and at the ends to the wooden bar going entirely through the springs.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination, in a curtain-fixture, of the helical springs a b, wound in opposite directions, and the bar 0., to which the curtain is attached and with which the springs are connected, substantially as set forth. for winding up the curtain by revolving the bar 0 around 0 the springs, as set forth.

2. The combination of the helical springs a,

b, wound in opposite directions, and connected at the ends to the window or casing with the plug d and bar e, substantially as set forth. 5

3. The combination, in a curtain-fixture, of the springs a I), plug d, bar a, and ringsf, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination, in a curtain-fixture, of the springs a b, bar 0, rings f, and spring-pawl If, substantially as set forth.

Signed by me this 28th day of June, A. D.

V. L. ORMSBY.

\Vitnesses:

GEo. T. PINCKNEY, CHAs. H. SMITH. 

